The Very Real Plans to Put Marines in Space

[Blaborde1488 Profile]

Tired of fighting the same old enemies, join the marines for a new adventure......
Source: Popular Mechanics

When then Marine Lieutenant Colone Roosevelt Lafontant first started pushing the idea of a space plane for the U.S. Marine Corps in 2002, skeptics didn't even bother to suppress their laughter. But now, with a Concept of Operations (CONOPS)—a formal military document that lays out how a particular weapon system would be used—and a completed, but not yet released Pentagon road map for the technology, people are beginning to take note of the Small Unit Space Transport and Insertion, or SUSTAIN, the notional concept of a Marine space plane.

"Then the laughing subsided," says Lafontant, who now works at Schafer Corporation. "People were really talking about it, and then it got serious. Then we finally got a CONOPS; the laughter stopped completely, and people started jumping on the technology bandwagon."

After decades of unsuccessful development, military space planes are finally getting some respect. On April 19 the U.S. Air Force plans to launch the X-37B, an unmanned space plane that will circle the planet a classified number of times before making an autonomous landing. (Popular Mechanics profiled the effort as the magazine's cover story in April.) The idea of a pop-up reconnaissance platform, to be used if a satellite is not available or is disabled, is an importantrationale for the Air Force's project.

The Marines' space plane takes the Corps' slogan of "first to fight" to the extreme: It could transport a squad of Marine riflemen to anyplace on earth within 2 hours, and then extract them after their mission is complete. Though the goal is appealing—imagine delivering well-armed Marines at hypersonic speed to a suspected Osama bin Laden hideout or besieged embassy—the concept seemed outlandish to many when it was first proposed.

But as strange as sending Marines into space might sound, it would not be the first time that the Marine Corps has succeeded in pushing a seemingly impossible aircraft. It was, after all, the Marine Corps that pushed the V-22, a tilt-rotor aircraft that takes off like a helicopter and lands like an airplane, over the objections of skeptics, even keeping it alive when then defense secretary Dick Cheney tried to kill it.

Similar to the V-22, the concept of the Marine space plane has been driven by ardent supporters, and not always with the full support of their superiors. Along with Lafontant, Franz Gayl, the Marine Corps science and technology advisor, has been another driving force behind the concept. Though it's not part of his official portfolio, Gayl has dedicated his spare time to shepherding the concept to completion. The Pentagon's National Security Space Office is now putting the finishing touches on a road map for the space plane.

Read more: Space Marines - Plans to Put Marines in Space - Popular Mechanics
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[Perronick Profile]

Another expensive toy for the Militaray Welfare. Those guys never rest. I guess years of stupid war movies, video games and false terror alerts make them confident enough to expect some public support in times of crisis.

[Mrmcnuggets Profile]

Another expensive toy for the Militaray Welfare. Those guys never rest. I guess years of stupid war movies, video games and false terror alerts make them confident enough to expect some public support in times of crisis.

Mmmm in terms of the Army, yes. Most of their toys are shiny and new and top of the crop, though the Marines used all hand-me downs from all of the other branches. The guns they're using right now for christs sake are mostly all from Vietnam and dessert storm.

In terms of spending I am pretty sure it goes
Air force
Army
Navy
Marines.
From most to least. Only thing the marines do right is turn one into a straight up killing machine. Look at the real black hawk down event we had. 500 marines went in, 2000 samalian deaths, less than 16 marine casualties.


This is pretty legit though. I'd be excited if I was a marine for this.

[Perronick Profile]

This project has many ingredients. Air Force, it's obvious, since there's a group of airships involved. The Navy would have to give support to the whole net. But instead of Marines, to me it looks more like a Black Ops tool, Navy Seals or, let's be frank, target assassination teams. To involve the Marines looks like a PR smoke screen in a way.

I tought Army = Infantry or land forces, that would include the Marines, which are infantry elite, right?. What's the difference?

[Mrmcnuggets Profile]

The marines are specifically designed to be deployed in combat first. Or have high priority, high risk missions first. The army is the representing nations formation of civilian defense. Basically. Both the active and reserves are comprised of normal citizens, with normal jobs, sometimes directed on their army job. When the draft happens, that is the army. I do not think one could be drafted into the marines. They need to be emotionally separated from thought and action to be sure the result is what it should be. If we turned more funding towards the marines what we would eventually see is a image of that that resembles halo suits and gear, along with the same directed missions(not ememies) but 20 troops being dropped in the middle of the field that have the knowledge and talent to dismantle literally everything.

[Perronick Profile]

Ok. Now I get it. Thanks, mrmcnuggets =)

[Mrmcnuggets Profile]

Ok. Now I get it. Thanks, mrmcnuggets =)

Course. I mean it is way more complex that but that's the basic understanding.

In any large scale event you'll always have all 4 or atleast 3 branches at a time colaborating at a time. The AWACS have navy airforce army and marine radiomen aboard for deployment and forwarding info. Most airforce carriers will contain another strategic command for the branches as well as it's responsible deployment force.

Though the main ground unit is always marines. You would know if we were at war and not a police action when we are sending all of the real killers, and not the reserves in.

[Djpakkal Profile]

good then they can cart with the russian spetsnaz , what did you realy think you guys are the first? hahaha right. To the stars and beyond hé my little hollywood lovers.